Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed... – By conveying randomly faced items and turning items to...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-18
2001-03-20
Bidwell, James R. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed...
By conveying randomly faced items and turning items to...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202826
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates an apparatus for feeding chip components, and in particular to an apparatus for feeding chip components in bulk while aligning such components in a line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various kinds of chip components are mounted on a print circuit board. An automatic mounting device transfers such chip components to the print circuit board and then mounts the chip components on the board.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-130088 discloses a chip component feeding apparatus. The chip component feeding apparatus feeds chip components in bulk while aligning such chip components in a line along a predetermined direction. According to the conventional chip component feeding apparatus, the chip components in bulk contained in a cartridge are introduced into a first component reservoir and then introduced into a second component reservoir by an up-and-down movement of a guide plate disposed between the first and second reservoirs. In the apparatus, an operator operates an operation lever to actuate the guide plate. The second component reservoir communicates with the first chip component and has a thickness which corresponds to that of the chip component so as to contain the components in a predetermined attitude thereof. Then, the chip components in the second reservoirs move down along a component guide groove by their own weight with keeping the predetermined attitude so that the components align in the guide groove in a line.
The chip components generally need to be fed out with their largest surfaces being facing upward so that the largest surfaces of the components are vacuumed and the components are picked up. On the other hand, in the conventional feeding apparatus explained above, the second reservoir is disposed in the same direction as the component feeding direction. Therefore, in the case that the component guide groove of the apparatus feeds the components, whose cross sections are rectangular, from the second reservoir to the picking up position, the component guide groove is designed to change the attitudes of the components by 90 degrees while twisting the attitudes of the components by 90 degrees. As a result, the largest surfaces of the components to be picked up face upward at the picking up position.
The conventional chip component feeding apparatus has following problems. As explained above, since the component guide groove needs to twist the attitudes of the components by 90 degrees when feeding the components to the picking up position, a very complicate groove machining process is required and the cost of the guide groove therefore becomes high.
In the conventional apparatus, the guide plate agitates the chip components in the first reservoir by the upper end surface thereof and guides the components into the second reservoir. The guide plate therefore needs to have a large vertical stroke and a large width so as to introduce enough amounts of the chip components into the second reservoir. As a result, when the guide plate moves upward, the chip components might be caught between the guide plate and the wall of the first reservoir and/or between the guide plate and the wall of the second reservoir. Similarly, when the guide plate moves downward, the chip components might be drawn between the guide plate and the wall of the first reservoir and/or between the guide plate and the wall of the second reservoir. In such cases, the chip components might be broken and further the guide plate and the first and second reservoirs might be damaged. Moreover, the guide plate might not work.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for feeding chip components which can surely and effectively feed chip components in bulk.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for feeding smoothly chip components without the chip components being caught and/or drawn.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a low cost chip feeding apparatus in which the attitudes of the chip components are not necessary to be twisted by 90 degrees.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for feeding chip component which can feed many components and has a relatively simple structure.
The above object is achieved according to the present invention by providing an apparatus for feeding chip components comprising a first component reservoir for storing chip components in bulk, the first component reservoir having a declined bottom portion on which the chip components move down by their own weight, a second component reservoir, provided under the first component reservoir, for two-dimensionally storing the chip components in a space which is defined so that the chip components are not overlapped in their thickness direction, the second component reservoir having a declined bottom portion on which the chip components move down by their own weight, a component alignment path, provided under the second component reservoir, for one-dimensionally aligning the chip components, the component alignment path having a cross section which corresponds to the cross section of the chip component, first alignment means, provided between the first component reservoir and the second component reservoir, for two-dimensionally aligning the chip components and letting the chip components move down by their own weight, second alignment means, provided between the second component reservoir and the component alignment path, for one-dimensionally aligning the chip components and letting the chip components move down by their own weight, movable plate means, provided adjacent to at least one of the first alignment means and the second alignment means, which moves in a predetermined direction when the chip components are caught or drawn between itself and at least one of the first alignment means and the second alignment means, and means for feeding the chip components in the component alignment path to a predetermined position.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the movable plate means includes at least one of a first movable plate provided near the second alignment means in the second component reservoir, a second movable plate provided on the side portion of the first alignment means, and third movable plate provided on the back portion of the first alignment means.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the first alignment means and second alignment means are an integrally formed alignment plate, the alignment plate having two vertically movable wall members and a declined groove provided between the wall members, the declined groove forming a space in which the chip components are not overlapped in their thickness direction, the alignment plate two-dimensionally aligning the chip components in the declined groove when the alignment plate moves upward into the first component reservoir, the groove together with the wall members aligning the chip components in a line by the upward movement of the plate so that the chip components fall down by their own weight.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the second component reservoir is provided along a surface which is perpendicular to the feeding direction of the chip component feeding means, and the component alignment path changes the attitudes of the chip components from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by about 90 degrees without twisting the attitudes of the chip components and aligns the chip components with their largest surfaces facing upward.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description by taking reference with accompanying drawings employed for preferred embodiments of the present invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4469709 (1984-09-01), Schrauf
patent: 5636725 (1997-06-01), Saito et al.
patent: 5836437 (1998-11-01), Saito et al.
patent: 5934505 (1999-08-01), Shimada
patent: 6032783 (2000-03-01), Saito et al.
patent: 9-13008 (199
Bidwell James R.
Jacobson Price Holman & Stern PLLC
Pop Man Corporation
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